This invention relates to syringe pumps.
Syringe pumps are used to supply medication to a patient from a pre-filled syringe via an infusion line. The syringe pump applies a force to the plunger of the syringe to drive medication into the infusion line at a controlled rate. The head of the plunger is engaged by a plunger head actuator that is movable along a leadscrew extending parallel to the axis of the syringe. The head actuator is movable from an extreme position at one end of the pump, where it allows the largest syringe to be loaded into the pump with its plunger fully extended, to an extreme position at the opposite end of the pump, where it fully depresses the plunger of the smallest syringe. There is a risk, when the head actuator is being moved back to its loading position, that the head actuator may trap the user's finger or other objects between the actuator and the pump housing.